Romanian Swatting Leader Targeted President-Elect Biden

Thomasz Szabo, a 26-year-old Romanian national, pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to leading an international swatting and bomb threat campaign targeting nearly 100 people, including members of Congress, senior officials, journalists, religious institutions, and a former U.S. president. Extradited from Romania in November 2024, Szabo admitted to orchestrating false emergency reports to provoke armed police responses at homes, government buildings, and houses of worship since late 2020. Among the group's threats were a planned mass shooting at New York City synagogues in December 2020 and a bomb threat to the U.S. Capitol that targeted then-President-elect Biden in January 2021. Authorities described the operation as highly organized, with members boasting of creating massive havoc and wasting public resources. Szabo faces up to 15 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for October, while charges remain pending against a Serbian co-conspirator. U.S. officials highlighted the case as an example of international cooperation against threats to public safety.